


The Six Pieces Of Evidence That I Still Love YOU

by Nhitori



Category: Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 22:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17292752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nhitori/pseuds/Nhitori
Summary: I know it's only loveIt's only loveYeah, but only love could fuck me up this muchErika and Dlanor have a secret.  Keeping that secret through the events of 'Dawn of the Golden Witch', however, will prove quite difficult.  But whatever obstacles may come their way, with their secret red truth, they will someday reach their...No, for those two, a Golden Land wouldn't be fitting at all.A world stained in Valentine's Red.(Alternative title is "The sappiest thing I've ever written".  I love Dlanor/Erika.  This was going to just be a oneshot, but I decided I want to continue it.)





	The Six Pieces Of Evidence That I Still Love YOU

“You still haven’t refuted the six pieces of evidence which say I still love YOU,” Dlanor knew she was speaking out of turn when she said this. Of course she was. She was playing the part of that man when she said ‘I’ and ‘YOU’, though… Somehow, it felt more personal than that. Was it just because she got so easily wrapped up in battles of truth?

“...Humans cannot use the red truth. So, refuting blue truth isn’t possible. The more overwhelming blue truth wins. That is it,” Erika answered, staring at a far wall, “That’s the truth I can reach as a human, Dlanor. That’s why my master granted me your use. Your red truths will be a bridge to my victory.”

“Miss… Erika,” Dlanor didn’t know what she was saying. She was running her mouth now, “What if I could give you a single red truth which says I still love YOU?”

“Hah,” Erika gave a false, sarcastic laugh, “What use would that be, Dlanor? I burned that bridge a long time ago. Even if some red truth could absolve that man… I’ve already committed the result of my overwhelming blue truths. I wouldn’t want him back.”

Dlanor knew the red truth of Erika’s past. The red truth of Erika’s past was that her partner was still very much in love with her, but at the same time… Each one of Erika’s blue truths was also verifiable. Matters of the heart were often complicated in those ways. That man still loved Erika. At the same time, he certainly did cheat on her. Erika was a difficult woman to love. She was paranoid and clingy and much too devoted. The only counter to falling in love with somebody like that, a human would conclude, was to throw devotion to the wind and keep Erika at an affectionate but ultimately meaningless arm’s length.

Dlanor was not a human.

“I am not speaking of I as if I am still acting as that man from your past, Miss Erika,” Dlanor said, “I don’t think the red truth of your past would mean anything to YOU. Still, knowing what sort of things you’ve said and how you have behaved in the past, there is a red truth which states that I still love YOU. It’s something that I’ve said in a very unprofessional WAY.”

“What are you talking about, you murder doll?” Erika looked up from her pillow and glared at Dlanor now, “I, Furudo Erika, am… Confused.”

Dlanor blinked back, unmoved by that glare, “I said thank you when you said ‘I love YOU’. It was not aimed at ME. I still said thank you. It was a very nice thing to HEAR.”

Erika grabbed the pillow she’d been hiding her face in, sat up, and clutched it close to her chest,  “I, Furudo Erika, am in love with my master, Lady Bernkastel.” 

“Miss Furudo Erika shows blind and passionate devotion to Lady BERNKASTEL. However, Lady Bernkastel is in love with Lady Lambdadelta and is exceedingly cruel to Miss ERIKA. Therefore, this devotion can not be LOVE.” 

”Love doesn’t have to be requited or healthy. I am in love with Lady Bernkastel,”  Erika grit her teeth as she countered this. What in the world was Dlanor’s game here? Was she trying to trap Erika in some sort of logic error on her own somehow, so she could be free? Was she secretly working with Battler all along? The last game’s results would line up with that...

“Fine, I will say it outright. Love is something which stands a chance at being REQUITED. Miss Erika knows Lady Bernkastel will never love her BACK. Miss Erika Furudo is not in love with Lady BERNKASTEL.”  Dlanor countered, taking a step closer to Erika as she did. This battle lacked in true weaponry, just a battle of words. The physical weapons were never required, but it did up the drama of all-out truth battles. This certainly wasn’t all-out.

Erika turned away, then gave her next blue truth,  “Dlanor A. Knox started this pointless battle of red and blue truths as some form of mutiny against me, Furudo Erika. She is tired of me making fun of her and wants to be free of my tyranny, or else she has been working with the gamemaster BATTLER from the beginning to sabotage me.” 

Dlanor couldn’t help but smirk with the perfect red takedown she concocted, taking up a teasing sort of tone as she said it. She’d gone this far, she may as well have some fun with it,  “I, Dlanor A. Knox, am not betraying Miss ERIKA. I enjoy Miss Erika’s TEASING. Gamemaster BATTLER is merely a worthy opponent and will remain my enemy for as long as he is YOURS. I have no desire to sabotage YOU.” 

“Then, what is this… About…” Erika twisted up her face in confusion, throwing harsh glares in Dlanor’s direction, “Why would you deny my love for Lady Bernkastel in red, when we both know that she’s watching?”

“I did not deny that you have love for HER. I denied that you are in love with HER,” Dlanor clarified, “Would you like to know the reason WHY?”

“Yes! I would very much like to know why! What makes a murder doll like you think that she can just get into a battle of truths with me, Furudo Erika, without permission?” Erika demanded, stomping her feet on the floor a little bit from where she still sat on the bed.

Dlanor took the final jump,  “I still love YOU.” 

“You… Oh?” Erika froze.

“ I still love YOU. Dlanor A. Knox loves Miss Furudo ERIKA. This is the TRUTH,”  With this red statement, Dlanor moved closer to Erika again, staring at her with that same empty look, but…

She had used the red truth. Wasn’t that what Erika always said? Any proclamation of love which wasn’t made in red was meaningless to her. This was… A proclamation of love in red. Something Erika had been waiting for, for a very long time, but never honestly expected she could possibly receive. She was deserving of it, but… It wasn’t like she knew enough people who could use the red truth, to find one among them who would dare to say they loved her in red, she thought. But here was Dlanor, saying it outright.

“ Miss Furudo Erika is the DETECTIVE. As Dlanor A. Knox, I have found myself very attracted to your INTELLECT. And by your passion for solving true MYSTERIES.” 

“What about when I call you a murder doll? What about when I say you’re not doing your job well enough? What about when I yell about how your red truth ruined my theory? Telling you and your subordinates to stand on one leg? Calling myself an intellectual rapist? Randomly revealing to you about how I had a terribly failed relationship? Constantly behaving in prickly manners? Reveling in the chaos of those who cannot understand the truth?” 

“That is CUTE. That is also CUTE. CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE! [Miss Erika is CUTE!] [Solving mysteries is CUTE!] [I fall in love with the CUTE!]  ” Dlanor proclaimed, shouting as she adjusted her usual phrasing of victory to something… Sweeter.

Erika let go of her pillow, and without saying anything, reached out. She wrapped her arms around Dlanor’s pauldrons, her fingers barely brushing against each other behind Dlanor’s back. The armor _nearly_ gave her the usual broadness of shoulders, but she was still petite. Erika didn’t have to put any effort in to pull Dlanor onto the bed with her as she fell over backwards, until she was staring up at the ceiling, Dlanor half on top of her right side.

It was red. She had to believe it.

But how could she reciprocate?

“I love you too,” Erika said. It felt empty. Words that weren’t in red didn’t mean anything. She could never give Dlanor back that truth. Was it a certain truth? Was it a miracle? Perhaps it was both, just like the love between Bernkastel and Lambdadelta. And all Erika could say… Was this pathetic, unverified… statement.

Erika waited so long to hear ‘I love you’ stained in red.

But she couldn’t use the red herself.

What did she think she was going to do when she heard it? She felt tears pricking at her eyes. She, Furudo Erika, was crying? For real? When was the last time she did that? Probably when she realized the overwhelming blue truth against that man she’d thought she loved before. For all she blustered, all she claimed to be above it all, Erika… Only wanted true love, right?

She did love Dlanor. She herself knew it was true. If only that sentiment could paint her words the proper color. If only she could prove it.

“Do you want me to say IT?” Dlanor asked, softly, from where she lay, “Will that make Miss Erika, HAPPY?”

“Please…” Erika choked the words out, “Please say it, Dlanor. I can’t. I can’t say it no matter how much I want to. How… Can you ever believe me?”

“I know the red TRUTH,” Dlanor assured her, “As long as I am able to say it, I will know IT.  Miss Furudo Erika loves Dlanor A. KNOX.” 

“Say it again,” Erika demanded, “Say it another way. Say it like you’re fighting against BATTLER. I don’t want there to be any loopholes. I want you to know I’m not lying to you. I know you’re telling me the truth. It’s all I ever wanted. So give yourself that same confidence!”

“I am already CONFIDENT. But if it will make Miss Erika happy, I WILL,” Dlanor whispered back,  "Miss Furudo Erika is in love with Dlanor A. KNOX. Dlanor A. Knox and Miss Furudo Erika are in LOVE. This love is of a romantic NATURE. The nature of the love between these two is 'at first SIGHT'. In this moment, Miss Furudo Erika is not lying about her FEELINGS.” 

“Forever,” Erika whined, “Forever, Furudo Erika is not lying about her feelings!”

“I cannot say forever… That would imply you cannot hide our relationship from ANYBODY. That may be NECESSARY,” Dlanor said, “And Miss Erika may not love Dlanor A. Knox FOREVER. It is presumptuous to say such a THING. I do not wish to trap you if you ever wish to end IT.”

“Why would I need to hide it? I don’t want to. I don’t want to hide a truth as wonderful as this! Even an intellectual rapist can find a pure sort of truthful pleasure sometimes, right?” Erika moved her arms to hold just tight enough around Dlanor’s neck, lifting herself up to cry these words into one of those cold, metal pauldrons. It didn’t calm her the way pressing her head against something cool usually did, at a time like this, “I need to expose the truth! And the truth, is that you, and me…”

“Miss Erika,” Dlanor sat up and brought Erika with her, then cupped the back of her head so that she could look into her eyes, “Do not let me be a DISTRACTION. We will have all the time in the world when these games are FINISHED. You will probably need to pretend as if we are not together sometime soon for the completion of the GAME.”

“...Captain Dlanor,” Gertrude suddenly appeared, “The barrier blocking this room from the observing witches will not hold much longer.”

“Dlanor…” Erika whined again.

“They do not KNOW,” Dlanor admitted, “I will take the blame for the BARRIER. Please do well in this GAME. I do not want Lady Bernkastel to punish YOU.”

“I… Understand,” Erika took a deep breath, then smiled at Dlanor, “Lady Bernkastel would have used that story about my past to ridicule me even more. Thank you, Dlanor. When all this is over… You will… Be my girlfriend, won’t you?”

“We will be GIRLFRIENDS.” 

And the barrier fell away.

Returning them to a world…

Where only they knew the red truth that tied them together.


End file.
